The Browns signed veteran defensive end Stephen Paea, he announced Friday morning on Twitter.
The team will need to make a corresponding move, so it's expected to announce those transactions Friday afternoon.
Paea, 28, has started 41 of the 66 NFL regular-season games in which he has appeared. He'll give the Browns depth on their defensive line, which has been depleted by the loss of starting end Desmond Bryant to a season-ending torn pectoral muscle in July and the four-game, performance-enhancing drug suspension end Armonty Bryant will serve to begin the season.
Paea, 6-foot-1 and 310 pounds, entered the league in 2011 as a second-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears out of Oregon State and had his best professional season in his contract year with them, starting all 16 games in 2014 and compiling career highs in tackles (33), sacks (six) and forced fumbles (two).
Paea parlayed the solid season into a four-year, $21 contract with Washington last year. However, he struggled to adjust to Washington's three-man front after playing in the Bears' 4-3 scheme. The Browns use a 3-4 base defense, but they also frequently employ their nickel package, which features a four-man front.
Paea lost his starting job a week into the 2015 season, served as a backup for another 10 games and then suffered a season-ending foot injury. He finished the season with 19 tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
This summer, he spent most of training camp toiling with second- and third-string players, and Washington cut him on Tuesday.
"One man's trash is another man's treasure. God is good. #DAWGPOUND #Cleveland #Browns," Paea wrote on Twitter.
On the last day of April's draft, the Browns traded for another former second-round pick, cornerback Jamar Taylor, who had been a bust with the Miami Dolphins. Taylor had a strong camp with the Browns and is now starting opposite two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Joe Haden.
The Browns would be delighted if a change of scenery could have a similar effect for Paea.
One man's trash is another man's treasure. God is good. #DAWGPOUND #Cleveland #Browns pic.twitter.com/UVJdiKVTPc
— Stephen Paea (@PAEA_90) September 2, 2016